The botched coup attempt that rattled Turkey on July 15, 2016, marked a double setback for the country’s democracy. As the academic Vahap Coskun succinctly described it, the failed putsch “was an insurrection against the democratic order by a group that had infiltrated the state. Those in the seat of power realized that the most critical organs of the state had been functioning outside their control and that their hold of power had been to a large extent only an appearance.” Turkish democracy thus braced for a second “coup” on July 16 as the government embarked on a ferocious crackdown with the stated aim of dismantling the putschist network and in the process pushing the limits of the law with authoritarian and arbitrary measures.http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/03/turkey-judiciary-sets-example-of-subservience.html

Turkish police detained four terrorist suspects linked to the Islamic State (IS), as well as a cache of explosives and suicide belts, as CIA Director Mike Pompeo arrived in Turkey for official talks Feb. 9.

The arrests are in line with a massive crackdown on Salafi and terrorist networks in Turkey this year. On Feb. 5-6, 820 alleged IS sympathizers and operatives were arrested in 29 cities across Turkey. In all of 2016, Turkish police detained and charged 2,936 people on charges of being Salafi or jihadi terrorists.

Metin Gurcan explains that the “main reason” for the crackdown “is the political climate in Turkey, which is preparing for a constitutional amendment referendum in April that would greatly expand the president's power. The Justice and Development Party (AKP) government is very much aware of the shock effect of the Istanbul nightclub attack in the first hours of the new year. That attack heightened Turkish people's fear of IS and what it can do. The government was harshly criticized for the country’s intelligence and security flaws. IS-initiated, extreme Salafi violence on the eve of the referendum would further frighten the public and expose the government's weaknesses, probably boosting the 'no' votes.”http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/02/turkey-crackdown-terror-groups-syria-kurds-federalism-al-bab.html

Practices casting doubts on election security have began with less than 40 days left before the upcoming referendum. Many ballot boxes in Kurdish towns have been moved to 'more central' locations before the April 16 referendum, just like they had been relocated in the last 2 elections. The decisions are seen as an important obstacle for the voters, and were taken after the request of gendarme commands and police headquarters in the Kurdish region.http://anfenglish.com/kurdistan/possible-election-fraud-ballot-boxes-in-kurdish-towns-relocated